In 1988, at the Limelight in NYC, Toronto native Ronnie Sweetheart met bassist Danny Nordahl, and under the slurring serenade of Johnny Thunders they drank to the beginnings of a great rock n roll heartbreak. Drunk on dreams and champagne from the Titanic-The Throbs set sail. Without missing a beat, drummer Ronnie Magri joined the line-up with Swedish born guitarist Roger Ericson sharpening the rough edges.
They had all they needed, but mastering the art of unnecessary excess, ex-Quireboys Guitarist Ginger was brought in for a stint. Shortly after, the now ex-Throb was escorted to the airport, crying in his beer, back to London. He just didn't fit the bill.
The Throbs had a vision and the masses were gathering. The buzz spread through the backstreets like a social disease. Like the Warriors in search of Cyrus- what do you know about the Throbs? They're the ones. What do you know about the Throbs? Pure magic. They were everything New York needed in a rock n roll band. The kids donned their colors, and paid their tokens, but where were the Throbs?
This is the deal. Do three shows, and with no demo, no press kit, not even a fuckin snapshot and get signed to Geffen Records. Get huge advances, and wait to become rock stars like. rock stars. Keep in mind, they still didn't have a producer, so they didn't have a record. No manager, so no one helping them find a producer. And a record company that really wanted nothing to do with them, going so far as to ban them from the building. The Throbs ran thru the city like NY Street drugs-everybody loved em then ended up feelin dirty the next day.
After a long hard road of what began to feel more like a deal with the devil than a teenage rock n roll dream, the record company tells them that Bob Ezrin (Alice Cooper/ Kiss) not only wants to produce them, but get this, will lower his fee to do it. With Dick Wagner (Alice Cooper/Lou Reed) riding shotgun in the control booth Ezrin said "Lets make a record!" The boys were on their best behavior. Its one thing telling some A&R person, whose favorite fuckin band is the Monkees, to go fuck themselves, but Toronto Bob is a legend. He was making his bones in rock n roll when these guys were still fuckin cheerleaders. With the producers pedigree, and rock and roll legend Little Richard on piano the whole experience, as Mr.Penniman says, was "a blessin and a lesson." In January 1991, the Throbs released their first album on Geffen Records: The Language of Thieves and Vagabonds. LTV was immediately met with the critical acclaim from the fans and press. The Throbs were ready to tour. Almost.
The reputation of the Throbs preceded them wherever they went, and damaged property and feelings were always left in the wake. Delays and dysfunction's were definitely taking their toll inside and out of the band. Attitudes and addictions that took years to cultivate needed to be dealt with before a tour could begin. Volumes have been written on the hardships and heartaches of touring, and starting with the As, Aerosmith have always led the pack. Who better to do an intervention on the guys than Steven Tyler and Joe Perry. Convincing a drug addict to enter rehab is tricky business. Promises far beyond the laurels of good living must be made. The instant gratification nerve must be touched in such a way that even Dee-Dee Ramone would be enticed by the idea of all the candy you can eat. Only Danny was willing to take that ride.
To keep an extra pair of eyes on the boys during their US/UK tour, Richard Cole, evil genius behind Led Zeppelin, was called in like Lee Marvin to wrangle this dirty foursome. Unfortunately, the worst was yet to come. As soon as the Throbs exploded on foreign soil, there were bombs over Baghdad. Days into the tour the Gulf War had begun. On the music front, a new underground sound was tracking the hearts of a new generation. Pulsating out of the Northwest, the Throbs began to palpitate as the flannel Mafia came down like rain. Shortly after the release of LTV, Geffen released Nevermind by Nirvana. The days of stealing your moms clothes to go to a rock show were replaced with borrowing your uncles work pants.
Completing their tour with LTV steadily climbing the charts in the US, Japan, and Europe, The Throbs headed back to the states. The video for their single "Come Down Sister" shot at NYs Palladium was in heavy rotation on MTV's Headbangers Ball in the US and UK, and the fans were making themselves known. The kids were learning the language the people of Geffen would never speak, seeing only the fork in their tongue. Before maximum life could be generated into this monster-Geffen Records pulled the plug, and dropped the band from the label. That's that.
They had come full circle. From that fateful night at the Limelight in 88, to being asked to perform at the Johnny Thunders Memorial show at NYs Marquee in 91. Now, for (the real) reasons only they know it was the last show the bad four would do. Shortly after, on Manhattans Lower East Side, over coffee and pirogies, The Throbs became a memory.
There's plenty of speculation from different factions on the how's and why's of the bands demise, but at this point, after a decade of dust has settled down, we have a chance to just listen to the fuckin music instead of gettin caught up in all that shit. So, twelve years after the split, on November 21st, 2003, The Throbs got back together at Don Hills in N.Y. to show their inherent flair only makes em more potent over time. The Throbs - Roger, Ronnie, Danny and Ronnie Sweetheart once again gave New York City a good kick in the crotch.
The past always shows shadows of regret. It would be easy, for them as a band and individuals ( even for us as fans or foes) to look back and wonder what would of happened if different choices were made. But, it wouldnt be like the Throbs to make things easy and burning over what could have been is not what rock n roll is all about - The Train Keeps Rollin whether you like it or not! And whether you like it or not, so do the Throbs.
